Podiums in a Rail-based City Changing the Urbanscape in Central Business District, Bangkok

Abstract

         The study of the present urbanscape of the central business district of Bangkok, Silom - Sathorn area, including its urban design controls reveals the fact that all the related building control law and regulations are merely not enough to ensure the urban regeneration that would yield good quality buildings and public spaces in such important business area in the capital city, Bangkok.  This research paper summarizes from a research on changing the urbanscape in central business district, Bangkok.  The research methodologies include the analysis of urban planning and design standards, urbanscape related regulations of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, international case studies, along with the survey of Silom - Sathorn area.  The research aims to analytically introduce the guidelines for the area regeneration, especially in term of ‘urban design’ that importantly points out the adjustment of buildings’ “podium” in the central business district.  This is to ensure the development of good public spaces that can be responsive to pedestrian environment and human scale at the time when Bangkok has been largely transforming to be a rail-based city in the next decade.  The research outcome includes the recommendation that Bangkok should set up ‘urban design review committees’ to help diagnose the project development’s master plan and architectural details in all important urban areas in order to control the quality of the urbanscape in correspond to urban contexts and in addition to incentives and law controls.